This article is concerned with social-anthropological approaches to literacy and orality. It tries to determine the extent cultural studies of orality in other societies can throw light on ancient Jewish literary, and explains how the studies of orality have contributed to the academic debate on the transmission of the Mishnah. It also assesses past studies on literacy and orality and presents some of the best ways to evaluate the available sources. The social contexts where writing and/or oral communication are used and the role of professional scribes are studied.

This article is concerned with social-anthropological approaches to literacy and orality. It tries to determine the extent cultural studies of orality in other societies can throw light on ancient Jewish literary, and explains how the studies of orality have contributed to the academic debate on the transmission of the Mishnah. It also assesses past studies on literacy and orality and presents some of the best ways to evaluate the available sources. The social contexts where writing and/or oral communication are used and the role of professional scribes are studied.